


Administrative Science

by dettiot



Series: Jerry the EA [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 04:25:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4990150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dettiot/pseuds/dettiot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>A good executive assistant knew how to keep things running when the boss was gone for a week.  A great executive assistant could keep everything under control when the boss was gone indefinitely.</i>  Jerry reflects on the changes that have occurred in Ms. Smoak--and in Mr. Queen, too.  Spoilers for early season 4.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Administrative Science

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to **The Secretarial Arts** , and it exists thanks to so many requests for more Jerry. So I’ve taken a stab at his thoughts at the start of season 4. There are mild spoilers for yet-to-air episodes, but I wanted to get this out there before it got totally Jossed. :-)
> 
> When I wrote the original story, I wasn’t aware that the intention was that the character’s name was Gerry-with-a-G and not Jerry-with-a-J. Rather than edit the first fic, I’ve chosen to keep it as Jerry in this fic. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

A good executive assistant knew how to keep things running when the boss was gone for a week. A great executive assistant could keep everything under control when the boss was gone indefinitely. 

Jerry Conway, who had always thought of himself as good, realized he was great in the fall of 2015. 

In the late spring, after Ms. Smoak left and Mr. Palmer unfortunately blew himself up, the company was in shambles. Samantha, Mr. Palmer’s EA, was useless--a judgement Jerry hated having to make, but it _was_ the truth--and as the EA to a vice-president, the vice-president who happened to have been Mr. Palmer’s right hand, Jerry found himself stepping into the position of leader. Not really because he wanted to be in charge or because he thought he was the best person. No, he did his best to run things because he wanted to help Ms. Smoak. He wanted to make her look good, which was the most important job of any EA.

It all worked out in the end, too, when it was discovered that Mr. Palmer had transferred the position of owner and CEO to Ms. Smoak. That sure made things easier for Jerry. Not that he was _any_ replacement for Ms. Smoak, but he could keep things in order until she returned.

Jerry wasn’t sure if he was surprised or not to discover, in his first phone call with her, that Ms. Smoak had gone off with Mr. Queen. Certainly the two of them were in love with each other--Jerry had known that even before Mr. Queen had sent that ridiculously large flower arrangement and Ms. Smoak had reacted as she had. But he just wasn’t sure if he could be happy for Ms. Smoak, when Mr. Queen had hurt her so badly.

Was that what love was? Pain and torment and potential heartbreak around every corner?

No, he wanted something different. Something safe and warm. Someone to go home to at the end of the day, someone who could share successes and soothe disappointments. That was what Jerry Conway wanted. It was what he deserved: something simple.

But then two things happened to change his mind. And Jerry would be the first to admit he had been wrong about a lot of things.

Because the same day that he told Ms. Smoak that she really should come back to Star City--that the company needed her to be there in person--Jerry discovered he was in love.

XXX

There was an extra spark on this Monday morning, Jerry thought. Probably because he knew Ms. Smoak was back. She would be walking off the elevator any minute now, ready for the coffee that Jerry had waiting for her, prepared just how she liked it: three sugars, no milk. And when she walked up towards him, she would give him that bright smile and tell him good morning. Just like she always used to do. Ms. Smoak had been the best boss he had ever had, and he wanted her to know that.

He could see a few people hovering around the elevators--not just the more gossipy EAs, but some of their bosses, too--and he hoped Ms. Smoak was ready for this gauntlet. To deal with the questions about where she had been the last five months, if she was ready to be the CEO. Even though Jerry had been in contact with her nearly the whole time, he could just imagine what some people were thinking. The ones, like half of the Board of Directors, who thought Ms. Smoak shouldn’t be in charge. 

But his worries were for nothing. Because when Ms. Smoak stepped off the elevator, dressed in a purple dress and high heels, her signature ponytail and glasses in place, she immediately charmed everyone.

Including the man following her, who looked at Ms. Smoak like the universe existed purely to showcase her.

It was almost enough for Jerry to reconsider not having a coffee for Mr. Queen. Making him consider if he was wrong. In spite of his pledge to never get the former CEO coffee, Jerry realized that Oliver Queen had changed. A lot. 

For one thing, Mr. Queen might be even more attractive than he used to be. Even in jeans, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket, instead of his thousand dollar suits, Mr. Queen was quite the looker. But more than his clothes enhancing his attractiveness, it was the way Mr. Queen smiled, how his eyes were bright, the sense of happiness and contentment that permeated his very being. That was what made him even more devastating than before. 

Jerry had worked for this company for six years. He had seen Mr. Queen when he had returned home, had observed him in action as CEO and seen how he had reacted to losing his family’s company. And of course everyone knew all the stories about Ollie Queen, the charming playboy disappointment. Jerry had always thought that Mr. Queen was a sad, caged tiger--an animal who lashed out against the bars and didn’t know how to break free, or even why he was struggling. 

But now, Mr. Queen was fully aware of his power. He wasn’t trapped anymore. And Jerry knew it was because of Ms. Smoak.

If Mr. Queen seemed like a powerful, untamed cat, Ms. Smoak was one, too Maybe a cheetah, all fast and dynamic. Because the moment she walked out of the elevator, she was energy and motion and drive. It was like she had barely been gone a day. And Jerry couldn’t stop the swell of pride and satisfaction he felt. In working for such a smart woman, in being there to see her conquer and rule like . . . well, like a queen.

She moved along the lines of people, shaking hands and smiling and talking, talking so fast, and just sweeping everyone off their feet. And then she turned her head and saw him, and Jerry wondered if he was reading too much into her expression. Because it was like her smile became real. 

“Jerry,” Ms. Smoak said, approaching him. Instead of shaking his hand, like he expected, Ms. Smoak hugged him, leaving him dumbstruck. “You are a hero.” 

“W-what?” he stuttered, clutching her coffee and his tablet in his hands, unable to move his arms to return her hug. Or maybe just uncertain if he should hug his boss. 

Thankfully, Ms. Smoak pulled away, grinning. “You kept everything under control here until you really needed me. You don’t know how much I appreciate that, Jerry. Although believe me, I’ll be speaking to HR about getting you a very well-deserved raise, to really show how much I appreciated that.” 

“Oh, no, Ms. Smoak, that’s not--”

“Felicity, Jerry,” she corrected him softly, still smiling at him. “I think we’re definitely past ‘Ms. Smoak’ now.” 

Returning to their old argument made Jerry relax a little as he smiled back at her. “Not when we’re in public, Ms. Smoak.” 

Ms. Smoak’s forehead creased and she looked around, only seeing Mr. Queen. Then she chuckled. “Oliver doesn’t count.” 

“Thanks. I think,” Mr. Queen said, his voice deep but full of amusement. 

With a soft laugh that was nearly a giggle, Ms. Smoak reached out and took Mr. Queen’s hand, tugging him over to stand beside her. “Oliver, this is Jerry Conway, my assistant, and the reason we could stay gone for five months. Jerry, this is Oliver.” 

It didn’t escape his notice that Ms. Smoak didn’t qualify who Oliver--Mr. Queen--was to her. He was just . . . Oliver. 

Jerry passed Ms. Smoak’s coffee to her and then held his hand out to Mr. Queen. Even if Jerry himself was unsure about whether Mr. Queen was worthy of her, he didn't want to be rude to someone she cared about. “Mr. Queen, it’s good to meet you. Formally, I mean.” 

“That goes double for me, Jerry. And there’s no need to call me Mr. Queen.” Mr. Queen shook Jerry’s hand firmly, a small smile on his face.

“That’s your father,” Ms. Smoak muttered, or at least that was what Jerry thought she said. Mr. Queen shot her a look and his smile increased into something big and bright, before he turned back to Jerry. 

“Oliver is fine. And thank you for all your hard work.” 

Mr. Queen was still smiling, and Jerry was starting to understand just how he cut a swathe through the female population of Starling City. But Jerry didn't feel the kind of butterflies that he thought he might feel, being in this situation. Instead, he just felt happy. Happy for Ms. Smoak, and even happy for Mr. Queen.

“Ms. Smoak, your schedule is all set for today,” Jerry said, turning to Ms. Smoak. “I guessed after today you’d want to set your own schedule like you used to, so there’s a list in your email, prioritizing which departments need to see you first. In my opinion, of course.”

“Thank you, Jerry. What time is my first meeting?” Ms. Smoak took a swallow of her coffee and sighed. “And this is perfect.” 

The simple praise always meant so much coming from Ms. Smoak. It was all he could do not to duck his head and blush like a schoolboy. “Thank you. You’ve got until eleven, when you have a meeting with the Board of Directors, followed by a welcome back lunch with the major department heads.” 

“Okay,” Ms. Smoak said, nodding her head. She looked at Mr. Queen and grinned. “You want to kiss me goodbye here or in my office?” 

Mr. Queen leaned in and said something in Ms. Smoak’s ear, something that made her blush and close her eyes for a moment. Then Mr. Queen kissed her cheek, gave her another one of those big, happy smiles, and turned to leave, only pausing to give Jerry a nod. 

He couldn't deny that the more he saw Ms. Smoak and Mr. Queen in action, the more he wondered just what had happened with them last year. Because they had definitely seemed like they were dating back then, but things hadn’t seemed to be going well with them. But seeing them now? Jerry doubted everything he thought he knew about them.

They certainly seemed to be in that honeymoon period--all the smiles and kisses and touches, the happiness just coming off them in waves. It was something that Jerry recognized in himself, whenever he had looked in the mirror recently. So he had to think that Ms. Smoak and Mr. Queen hadn’t started dating until recently. But then, how to explain the relationship they seemed to have before, which was so close and seemingly intimate?

Giving his head a shake, Jerry focused on Ms. Smoak, who was smiling at him. “Are we ready to get to work?” she asked, before she tipped her coffee mug back and finished it off. 

“Yes, of course, Ms. Smoak,” Jerry said, plucking the mug from her fingers. “I’ll get you another coffee. Oh, and this afternoon, I scheduled a short meeting for us, if that’s okay.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re leaving me,” Ms. Smoak said, her face going pale and her smile vanishing. “I can’t do this without you!” 

“No, no!” Jerry insisted quickly. “I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. Since, um, things have changed?”

Ms. Smoak’s shoulders relaxed and her smile returned. “Oh, thank goodness. Because I wasn’t kidding about that raise. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. But a meeting is good. What time?”

“Three,” Jerry said, feeling overwhelmed. It had been months since he had felt like this: that he needed to be on his toes, that he had to be ready for anything. 

Jerry had really missed that feeling.

“I’ll be right back with another coffee, Ms. Smoak. Your desk is organized the way you like it and the computer supplies you requested are in your office.” 

“You’re making me doubt whether you really needed me here or not,” Ms. Smoak said over her shoulder as she strode into her office, her heels clicking. 

But Jerry knew the truth.

XXX

The next few weeks were busy, active, packed with changes and decisions. Ms. Smoak didn’t let much time go by before she was shaking things up, sinking a lot of money into the Applied Sciences Division. That meant the company was also moving forward on a much-needed replacement for the division’s research building, the building that had been blown up a few years ago. 

Mr. Palmer had dragged his feet on the new building, which had caused grumblings within both the company and the city. Ms. Smoak, as the former Applied Sciences VP, knew that the division needed more space, more than what could be provided within the Palmer Technologies building, so she made sure that a replacement facility was begun right away.

The best part about Ms. Smoak doing so much for Applied Sciences, though? It meant seeing Curtis. A lot. And any day that Jerry got to see his boyfriend was a good day in his book. 

Of course, they both wanted to keep things professional at work. But just getting to smile at him, to exchange a few words . . . Jerry had never felt like this before. Had never felt like one person held all of his happiness in his hands. It was scary and intimidating, and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that.

These feelings went against everything he used to think about love. Everything he thought he might have someday. Curtis was smart, funny, sweet--he was amazing. And Jerry . . . well, he was an executive assistant who should work out more and definitely wasn’t very funny. He didn't always know why Curtis was interested in him. And those thoughts made him feel unsettled. 

He knew who he was. He knew the kind of life he was cut out for. Curtis didn’t fit into that life. And he didn’t understand how much longer he had before Curtis figured that out. 

“Jerry?” 

From the shock of his thoughts being interrupted, Jerry banged his knee against the side of his desk. “Yowch!”

“You okay there?” Mr. Queen asked, looking concerned. 

“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” he said, rubbing a hand over his knee. “Ms. Smoak is in a meeting on the twelfth floor, but it should be wrapping up soon.” 

“Yeah, she texted me. Asked me to bring lunch,” Mr. Queen replied, holding up a bag from Ms. Smoak’s favorite Chinese restaurant. 

Unable to hold back his smile, Jerry nodded. “I was just about to put in the order for her lunch, since Ms. Smoak feels like she deserves the reward of her favorite meal after budget meetings.” 

“She mentioned that,” Mr. Queen said with a small smile. “Oh, and for you . . .” 

Jerry watched in surprise as the former CEO set the bag down on the edge of his desk and opened it up. After a moment of searching, Mr. Queen produced a plastic container. “I asked Felicity what you liked, so here you go.” 

Wordlessly, Jerry took the container, seeing beef and broccoli under the clear lid. He stared down at the food, too amazed by this small kindness to know what to say. 

“This is the kind of thing my boyfriend does.”

It took a moment after the words slipped out for Jerry to realize he had said them. That he had told his boss’s boyfriend about his own boyfriend. His eyes jerked up to look at Mr. Queen, whose face was open yet neutral. He was clearly listening, willing to let Jerry say more. 

“My boyfriend, he sometimes brings me lunch. Just because,” Jerry said, swallowing. “I’ve never had that before. Someone who wants to take care of me.”

“When you take care of everyone, it’s . . . when someone starts to take care of you, it changes your world,” Mr. Queen said quietly. 

Jerking his head up from his examination of his lunch, Jerry met Mr. Queen’s eyes. Eyes that were filled with wonder as he looked towards Ms. Smoak’s office. 

Was that how it was for Mr. Queen and Ms. Smoak? A never-ending sense of joy, just from being in each other’s presence? He thought so. Because they were so happy together. Jerry had seen them together a lot since their return to Star City, and there was no way anyone could deny that Felicity Smoak and Oliver Queen loved each other--that they belonged together. They were the stuff of epic romance. 

Last year, he had thought that it would have been better if Ms. Smoak had never met Oliver Queen. But now . . . he knew he was wrong. Ms. Smoak was so much better for knowing and loving Mr. Queen. He made her happy. And Mr. Queen seemed even happier than Ms. Smoak, which Jerry wouldn’t have thought was possible. Not with how Ms. Smoak was like the sun, shining brighter than ever before. 

Although Mr. Queen’s face gave hers a run for its money.

Swallowing, Jerry met Mr. Queen’s eyes. “Yes,” he replied, feeling a connection that he would have never expected. Not between someone like him and someone like Mr. Queen. Because what did he have in common with Mr. Queen?

Only one thing: they were both in love and neither of them could believe how lucky they were. 

XXX

Just because he felt a sense of empathy for Mr. Queen, that didn’t meant that Jerry put him first. No, he worked for Ms. Smoak, and she was his priority. So when he noticed signs that she was barely leaving the building, he got worried. 

Most days, Ms. Smoak was already there when he arrived, and she was still there when Jerry left. Mr. Queen was there nearly as much, too. Ms. Smoak’s office acquired a forlorn, cluttered look, thanks to half-empty coffee cups and food containers. After three days, Jerry stopped waiting to tidy up the office when Ms. Smoak left, and he just carried an empty trash bag into the room to toss the garbage. 

He was nearly done before Ms. Smoak even noticed him. And then her cheeks flushed. “Oh, I’m sorry, Jerry. I know this place is a mess.” 

“It’s quite all right, Ms. Smoak. Although . . . might I suggest you go home tonight? Perhaps after having dinner with Mr. Queen, eating with real silverware instead of plastic?” 

Ms. Smoak gave him a small smile, her eyes twinkling. “Are you worrying about my love life, Jerry?”

Chuckling, he shook his head. “No, Ms. Smoak. I don’t really think there’s anything to worry about on that score.” 

With a slowness that spoke to her weariness, Ms. Smoak stood up and stretched. “It does sound good, but Oliver and I have an appointment later. But you should go on home, Jerry.” 

“I will, Felicity,” he said, her first name still feeling strange in his mouth. Perhaps because of the way Mr. Queen always said it, like it was the most perfect word in the world. Combined with his lingering sense that it wasn’t proper for him to call her by her given name, it would always a struggle for Jerry. 

Hefting up the bag of garbage, Jerry headed towards the door, only to stop and whirl around. “Oh, another packet of papers just came in for you,” he informed her. 

“Oh?” Ms. Smoak asked, her attention focused on her computer as she tapped away on the keys. 

“Yes, they were addressed to the T&O Group, care of you?” he confirmed, unable to keep the curiosity out of his voice. 

As soon as he said the name of the company, Ms. Smoak’s whole attitude changed. Whatever she was working on was forgotten as she dashed towards him. “Let me have them, please,” she said quickly, holding her hand out towards him. 

Putting down the bag, Jerry walked over to his desk and picked up the manila envelope, noting again how thick it was. He passed it over to Ms. Smoak, who ripped it open as she walked back to her desk, muttering the whole time.

You didn’t have to be a genius like Ms. Smoak to put together this new company and all the extra time she had been spending in the building. Ever since Mr. Queen had been accused of being the Arrow, Jerry had wondered if that explained what had happened last year between Mr. Queen and Ms. Smoak. Perhaps Mr. Queen being the Arrow had caused problems for them, problems they had worked out while they were gone. And it was a pretty big coincidence, this new Green Arrow appearing to protect Star City at the same time Mr. Queen and Ms. Smoak returned to town. 

It was tempting to keep thinking like that. To maybe sneak a look at one of those manila envelopes. But just because a great executive assistant knew more about the company than the boss, the best ones also knew when to ask questions and when to not ask. And Jerry was pretty sure this was one of the latter times. 

Not that it really mattered in the end, he thought as he sat down behind his desk. Regardless of the questions, he trusted Ms. Smoak. He believed in her. And yeah, it would be something else to find out his boss was helping the Green Arrow, let alone dating him. 

But there was no one he could tell if he found that out, Jerry knew. So it was better to not even think about it.

The elevator doors dinged and Jerry glanced up. As soon as he spotted the tall, lanky form of Curtis, walking towards him and smiling brightly, Jerry felt his own smile appear on his face. 

Ms. Smoak might be dating Star City’s protector, which was amazing and exciting. But Jerry had an evening of Chinese and Netflix ahead of him, shared with the man he was crazy about. 

That sounded a lot better than whatever Ms. Smoak and Mr. Queen had planned, really. Although Jerry did hope they got that kind of evening soon. They deserved it. 

End.


End file.
